Wednesday, June 24, 2009

The Reproach

Some years ago, when I was making rent with a wrench, a woman came into the shop with a Holdsworth made from Reynolds 531. She had decided it was time for a tune-up. The bike needed a tune-up the way the starving need a cup of water. While the frame seemed to be in solid shape, the wheels were toast and the front derailleur, well, the bike had been ridden cross-geared for so long the chain had worn through all but a small span of the Nuovo Record front derailleur cage which was by this time cellophane-thin.

I was amazed and felt badly for her. Didn’t she ever hear that nasty sound of the chain grinding material off the cage?

“What sound?” she responded.

I am bewildered when I meet someone who really doesn’t seem to notice the sound an untrimmed derailleur makes. While I don’t think everyone needs to be able to maitain a bicycle, it makes sense to me that a basic awareness of the bicycle’s operation can make someone a better rider and more proactive bike shop customer, therefore helping ensure the bike lasts longer.

She didn’t seem to mind the wear to the derailleur and considered it all just the cost of having a bike. She was so relaxed about the worn-out parts and the cost of the overhaul I found myself admiring her attitude.

Years of working on bikes have made me aware of every sound my bikes make. From the tk-tk-tk of an untrimmed derailleur to the ting-ting-ting of a derailleur cage on spokes, I usually know the cause of a sound the moment I hear it.

Usually. The dreaded creak can elude even veteran wrenches from time to time. And for those of us who do our own maintenance, a creak is an embarrassment. It is the bicycle talking back, the baby crying for food, the public spat you wish could have unfolded at home.

I love the sounds a bicycle makes. The seamless sound of a chain running over a chainring and cog along a perfect chainline brings me peace. Conversely, the sound of a too-tight chain on a fixed-gear bicycle is the rising screech of a catfight. And the sound of a disc wheel on asphalt is the sound of speed itself, of inevitability. The click of a quick downshift and flawless chain movement is order itself, the way the world should always work.

But that creak. When I hear a creak I pray for the noise of the pack, for the whitewash sound of 70 other bicycles to drown out my problem child. That sound tells me I’ve been inattentive, lazy. And now my bicycle is punishing me for my neglect.

If only it were always that simple. I’ve disassembled by bicycle’s entire drivetrain and reassembled it with fresh grease and Teflon tape only to have the creak return upon exiting the driveway.

Today’s bike require greater care to assemble and maintain than those we rode 20 years ago. That’s no newsflash, but the upshot is. Maintain a bike is like training now. It requires regular attention, care, the vigilance we show our bodies.

Standing on the side of a small crit course recently was an introduction to the symphony of sounds from the small groups of riders passing. I remember when the peloton made the sound of a thousand bees as it passed. Now there are creaks, and buzzes that I have trouble listening to, much less racing next to. The fear from the odd sounds is how well that person maitains their bike? If they're willing to listen to that, what else are they not doing in their pre-race check-over? In Flanders earlier this year, I watched a number of mechanics working on bike assemblies, and then procede to drop, push and pull on a number of part of the bicycle. The last thing many mechanics do is take the bars at the stem , and drop it into the ground from about 15cm. bouncing the bike on the front wheel, and they listen. This isn't done once or twice, but numerous times. And a bike built right, with the properly tightened equipment sounds quiet. No thuds or clicks where there shouldn't be.If you're riding in a larger group, and you hear your own bike, then you might want to check it over when you're done, or, as you wash it. That's the time and place where you can discover many of the problems and noises on a bike.

While I always blame my bottom bracket when there is a creak, the creak seldom goes away after the BB is overhauled and relubed. This time after reinstalling the BB, it appeared to be my chainring bolts. I pulled those out, lubed them and stripped 2 on the re installation. Still creaking after proper installation. I pulled off my cassettes, greased the freehub bodies, still creaking. Then I pulled the saddle and seatpost assembly apart, greased, re installed, still creaking. Next, I found a frayed derailleur housing, I fixed that, lubed the ferrule, no dice. Headset/handlebar, no dice either. Pedals, still moaning. Finally, I pulled the skewers off and really greased them. The creak disappeared. And now I have a completely overhauled bike...

...ahhh, when you have a moment, would you mind taking a look at my cyclo-cross bike ???...thanks, i'll just wait patiently 'til you're done w/ what yer doing......hah !!!...

...i've been rocking a bianchi w/ scandium main triangle & crabon rear-end & fork for several years now & it's been an awesome machine...seated, under power, no problem but stand up & put some muscle into it & it sounds like a newlyweds honeymoon bed...

...best i can figure, the creaking actually comes from the aluminum capped, crabon seatstay which is bolted & lock-tite-ed to the rear drop-out...

...the dichotomy as regards creaking & bike frames is that those hollow tubes, no matter the material, amplify & carry the noise, often making it sound as if it's coming from another part of the bike...

Got me a creek now. But on my mountain bike (of course). Headphones seem to be the answer.

I can be one of those folks who usually never notices. When I first started mountain biking, if I broke a spoke, I just ripped it out until I found the time/money to get a shop. Wheel strength, safety, and brake rub be damned!!

15 years later, I still can't do 98% of my own wrenching. BUT I've learned how to listen and look for things before they become a problem. I've also found a couple great wrenches and get tips.

I have had the creak on my cross bike commuter pretty much since I built it up and started riding it this spring. Loudest when climbing, worse on the drive side than not. I had the chain off for cleaning last week and spinning the cranks without a chain on unleashed an awful dimes-in-the-tumble-dryer sound. It seriously sounds like there aren't even any bearings in there. My guess is that under load, that's been the creak all along. We'll see.

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Belgium Knee Warmers Defined

For many professional cyclists the Spring campaign is the toughest of the season; it means training from October until March in the worst, character-building weather conditions Europe can dish out. This weather and the suffering that is bicycle racing breed characters known as "hardmen".

Select cyclists tackle these conditions in shorts, long sleeve jerseys or short sleeve jerseys with arm warmers, wind vests, and shoe covers. A true hardman opts to forego the knee or leg warmers and instead chooses an embrocation to cover the knees. The liniment provides warmth for the legs and keeps the blood circulating and muscles supple. Embrocation and the sheen created is affectionately known as "Belgium knee warmers". The hardest of cyclists will sport bare legs in the most ruthless of conditions.

Belgium Knee Warmers are indicitive of the many subtleties that make professional cycling so enthralling.

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I spent 20 years of my life working in the bicycle industry, turning wrenches and selling bikes for some of the industry's best shops. I have extensive experience designing and constructing frames in both steel and titanium and have performed thousands of bike fits. I am passionate about bicycles in all forms. The bicycle provides me with physical and mental health and taps me into a social pipeline that allows me to share my passion with others. I ride as often as possible and love the flow of a hard group ride. Check back for musings about all things road cycling and, especially, the Spring Classics. The devil is in the details and I am an expert in the useless minutia that makes up our discipline.